DAYTON, Duquesne Seek Momentum in A-10 Clash

PITTSBURGH (Interstat) — The Dayton Flyers and Duquesne Dukes meet for the second time this month, with both women’s basketball teams looking to halt slides in Atlantic 10 Conference play Wednesday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center.

Dayton (9-9, 2-3 A-10) arrives after a 58-62 loss at Saint Louis on Sunday. The Flyers previously defeated Duquesne 68-61 at home on Jan. 3. Duquesne (7-11, 0-5) is mired in a six-game losing streak, most recently a 50-70 defeat at Rhode Island.

The Flyers will lean on guard Nayo Lear, who is coming off a 17-point, six-rebound performance against Saint Louis. Lear torched Fordham for 30 points on Jan. 10 and scored 12 in the first matchup against the Dukes.

For Duquesne, forward Fatou Sane will aim for a stronger contribution. Sane was limited to one rebound in six minutes in the Jan. 3 loss at Dayton but posted nine points and six rebounds at Rhode Island. The Dukes need more offensive consistency after scoring 50 or fewer points in three of their last five games.

In the first meeting, Dayton used a balanced attack to overcome Duquesne. The Flyers’ defense will focus on containing Mackenzie Blackford, who led the Dukes with 11 points in the loss to Rhode Island.

Both teams are near the bottom of the A-10 standings and desperately need a conference win. Dayton has lost three of its last four. Duquesne’s last victory was a non-conference win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 21.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. EST. Dayton hosts Rhode Island on Jan. 25. Duquesne remains home to face Saint Joseph’s on Jan. 24.